Cigarette lighter and fueling device therefor



Jan. 7, 1958 M. MORRIS CIGARETTE LIGHTER AND FUELING DEVICE THEREFOR Filed Nov. 9, 1956 INVENTOR.

' ATTo an E Y5 .some dilficulty and inconvenience.

United States Pate t CIGARETTE L GHTER 'A'ND FUELING DEVICE 7 THEREFOR This invention relates in general to cigarette lighters and 'to means for refueling the same. More particularly, the invention is a cigarette lighter having a -built-in refuelingmump, adapted to pump fuelfrom an associated fuel container-into the wadding-filled wick chamber of the lighter.

lighter .is accompanied by v A cap is usually provided, providing access to the wick chamber, and this The-refueling of a cigarette .cap must beremoved, after which thenoZzle-of the fuel container is inserted and-a quantity of fuel ejected through the nozzle.

7 This is, at best, a haphazard manner of refueling a cigarette lighter, and often the wadding is not uniformly saturated, or alternatively, is either inadequately orexcessively saturated.

In addition, it often happens that the user .is unable to direct all the fuel accurately into the wick chamber, as aresult of which fuel may be spilled onto the sides of the lighter or onto'the'floor surface.

In view of the above, the object of the present invention is to provide a generally improved cigarette lighter and refueling means therefor, adapted, to permit the efiicient refueling of the lighter.

Among various specific objects of the invention are the following:

To provide a pump means built into the lighter,

.desig'ned toelfect the extraction of a measured amount of, fuel from the containerand the direction of said amount into the wick chamber, by operation of the pump handle through a single stroke or, perhaps, through a predetermined number of strokesfound to be proper for charging the lighter with the desired, measuredquantity of fuel;

To so design the pump means as to cause the same, when being operated, to expose vents that will permit the displacement of air from the wick chamber by the fuel entering the same, and that will also 'permitjventing of the pump chamber to atmosphere, with the pump being so designed as to automatically close the'vents when tively inconsequential amount;

'To incorporate the features of the invention in a lighter havinga conventional flintstriker and wick mechanism, without requiring modification of these particular mechanisms;

" To so charge the lighter as to cause the fuel to be distributed uniformly over the full transverse dimension of the wick chamber, thus to assure uniform saturation ,of the wadding; and a To accomplish the various desirable results stated above without increasing the, overall cost of the lighter and fuel container any more than a relativelyinconsequential "ice amount, considering the benefits to be obtained from the invention.

Other objects will appear from the following description, the claims appended thereto, and from the annexed drawing, in which like reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the ligher and associated fuel container, with the pump in operating position;

Figure 2 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view substantially on line 22 of Figure l, a portion of the fuel container being broken away;

Figure 3 is a detail sectional view, still further enlarged, on line 3-3 of Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a view of the lighter on the same cutting plane and on the same scale as Figure 2, with the pump in its normal, inoperative position.

Designated generally at 10 is a cigarette lighter according to the present invention. In respect to the striking and wick mechanism, the lighter is of conventional design, and any of various Well known mechanisms may be employed for this purpose. In the illustrated example, the lighter includes a casing 12, and extending transversely of the casing at -a location spaced a short distance from the back wall 13 thereof is a transverse partition 14. Defined between the partition 14 and the front wall 15 of the casing is a wick chamber 16 containing a quantity of wadding 17.

Defined between the partition 14 and the back wall 13 is a piston chamber 18. In this connection, as will be noted from Figures 2 and 4, the partition 14 terminates at its lower end in spaced relation to the bottom plate 19 of the lighter casing, the partition merging at its lower end into an inclined connecting wall 20 merging in turn into a bottom wall 22 of the wick chamber having a plurality of perforations 24 spaced uniformly upwardly a short distance from the bottom plate 19 of the casing 12, thus defining a fuel distribution chamber 26 extending over the full bottom area of the wick chamber and communicating at one end with the piston chamber 18. As a result, fuel forced into the distribution compartment or chamber .26 will distribute itself over the full area of the bottom of the wick chamber, and passing through the perforations 24 will saturate the wadding 17 uniformly, as distinguished from conventional refueling devices, which force all the fuel into a-particular area of the wadding, thus tending to prevent uniform saturation of the'wadding.

The lighter in the illustrated example has the usual flint tube 28, flint wheel 30, and flint wheel rotating lever 32. This is atypical flint and striker mechanism, and does not per se constitutepart of the present invention. As will be presently made apparent, the'lighter can have any type of striker mechanism, and can be of the type, for example, wherein the flint wheel is rotated manually.

The lighter can, in fact, be any type that involves the use of a liquid fuel.

In any event, mounted within the pump chamber 18 is a piston cylinder 34 extending substantially the full height of the lighter, and having acircular cross section in the illustrated example as shown in Figure 3, although said piston chamber could have other cross sectional configurations if desired. The piston cylinder 34 is formed open at its lower end, and ispermanently closed at its upper end by an upper end wall 35.

Extending axially within the piston cylinder 34 is a and projects upwardly out of thechamber 18, the upper,

projecting end'of the stem being provided with ahead38 providing a handle. Cemented or otherwise secured to the underside of the head 38 is a resiliently compressible pad or gasket 40. This, as shown in Figure 4, is adapted to seat, together with the handle 38, in an angular recess 41 formed in the top wall of casing 12, so that the handle will be flush with the top wall of the casing when the device is not in use, as best shown in Figure 4.

On the inner end of the stem 36 there is mounteda piston 42.

At its lower end, the piston cylinder 34 is internally threaded, to receive a closure cap 44. At its upper end, the piston cylinder is formed with a relief vent opening 45 registering with an opening formed in the bottom wall of the recess 41 to vent the upper portion of the piston cylinder 34 to atmosphere during the pumping operation. This is necessary in view of the fact that when piston cylinder 42 moves upwardly within the piston cylinder (see Figure 2) it is necessary to relieve the portion of the cylinder between piston 42 and end wall 35 of air that might otherwise be trapped therein, it being further necessary to permit the free flow of air during the downstroke of the piston to prevent the tendency toward formation of a vacuum between the piston and the upper end wall 35.

Formed in the cap 44, at the inner end thereof, is a small opening 46. The cap 44, as shown in Figure 2, is of hollow formation, and in the outer end wall thereof there is formed a flared opening 48 in registration with the opening 46. Between the outer and inner walls of the cap 44 a spring-loaded check valve 50 is mounted, said valve being loaded to normally seat upon the edge of the opening 48, the valve being adapted to permit the flow of fuel through the cap into the piston cylinder, while preventing the return flow of fuel from the pistoncylinder outwardly through the cap 44. p

In the side wall of the piston cylinder 34, in closely spaced relation to cap 44, there is mounted a spring-loaded check valve 52, controlling communication between the piston cylinder 34 and the fuel distribution chamber 26. Valve 52 operates in a direction to permit the flow of fuel from the piston cylinder into the distribution chamber 26, while preventing return flow of the fuel from the distribution chamber back into the cylinder.

It will be understood that when the pumping action occurs, causing fuel to be pumped into the distribution chamber 26 and forced upwardly through the perforations 24, it is necessary to permit air within the wick chamber to be displaced by the fuel. To relieve the wick chamber of air that might otherwise be trapped therein, there is provided a relief vent 53, formed in the side wall of the recess 41 and fully exposed during the pumping operation.

When the lighter is to be refueled, there is utilized a fuel container 56. Container 56, at its upper end, has an upwardly projecting, externally threaded, low neck 57, and threaded on said neck is a cap 58, centrally apertured to receive the upper end portion of a tubular stem 60 extending downwardly within the container 56 and terminating at its lower end in closely spaced relation to the bottom of the container 56. At its lower end, stem 60 is formed with a flared portion 62, having an inlet opening at its larger end, and mounted within the flared portion of the stem is a check valve 64 spring-loaded to normally close the opening of the flared portion. Valve 64 opens in a direction to permit fuel to flow from within the container upwardly within the stem 60, while preventing return flow from the stem into the container proper.

At its upper end, the stem 60 projects beyond the cap 58, so as to extend into the intake opening 48 ofthe cap 44 as shown in Figure 2.

As shown in Figure 2, in cap 58 there is formed a relief vent 66, venting the interior of the container to atmosphere during the pumping'operation.

It will be understood in this regard, that at times when the lighter is not being refueled, there would be applied, over the projecting portion of the stem 60, anothersmall cap, not shown, which could have a friction fit with the upper end of the stem 60 to close the same. Such a cap would be provided with a flared portion or circumferential lip that would at the same time close the air vent 66, thus to seal the container 56 when it is not in use to prevent evaporation of the fuel F.

In use of the device, the lighter would ordinarily remain sealed against the evaporation of the fuel saturating the wadding, due to the fact that the valves 52, 50 are normally tightly closed by reason of the springs thereof. At the same time, the piston stem is in the Figure 4 position thereof, with the gasket 40 engaging in the recess 41 in position to close off and tightly seal, simultaneously, the piston chamber vent 45 and the wick chamber vent 53. This is an important feature of the invention, in that the handle of the piston stem, as will be appreciated, automatically opens these vents when the pump is in operating position, with said handle also automatically closing the vents whenever the handle is in its normal, inoperative position recessed in the top wall of the lighter casing.

Assuming that it is desired to recharge the lighter with fuel, one merely seats the lighter upon the upper end of container 56, in the positions shown in Figures 1 and 2. The upwardly projecting end of stem 60 engages in opening 48, and one now elevates the pump stem 36.to or beyond the Figure 2 position.

When the stem 36 is shifted upwardly in the direction of the arrow shown in Figure 2, it will tend to cause a vacuum between cap 44 and piston 42. As a result, valve 50 is unseated, and the fuel F will be drawn upwardly through the stem 60 into the piston cylinder, valve 64 also being unseated as the stem is raised.

This charges the piston cylinder with a predetermined or measured quantity of fuel, and thereafter, one merely depresses the stem 36, so that the piston 42 forces the fuel through the check valve 52, which will now be unseated while valve 50 is closed. The fuel thus is forced into the distribution chamber 26, and upwardly through the perforations 24 to uniformly saturate the wadding 17.

The number of strokes of the piston required to saturate the wadding with a predetermined quantity of fuel will, of course, depend upon the size of the lighter and other factors, and can be readily determined. A single stroke of the piston, for example, may be sufiicient in some embodiments for charging the wadding with the exact amount of fuel found proper to fully saturate the same while not causing over or inadequate saturation.

When the lighter has been refueled, the piston will merely be disposed in its depressed, normal position shown in Figure 4, with the valves automatically moving to closed position and the vents 45, 53 being closed by the gasket 40.

If desired, the valve 52 could be flush with the inner surface of the piston cylinder 34, rather than project inwardly beyond said inner surface in the manner shown in Figure 3. In these circumstances, the piston 42 might be thicker, and as a result, with the handle 38 in its fully depressed position shown in Figure 4, the piston 42 may be proportioned and located to sealably engage in position to close the opening 46 as well as the opening of the valve 52, thus to even further insure against the leakage of fumes or evaporation of fuel.

It is believed apparent that the invention is not necessarily confined to the specific use or uses thereof described above, since it may be utilized for any purpose to which it may be suited. Nor is the invention to be necessarily limited to the specific construction illustrated and described, since such construction is only intended to be illustrative of the principles of operation and the means presently devised to carry out said principles, it being considered that the invention comprehends any minor change in construction that may be permitted within the scope of the appended claims,

What is claimed is:

1. A lighter and fuel injecting device therefor comprising a lighter casing including communicating wick and pump chambers; a fuel container engageable with the casing in communication with the pump chamber; a pair of check valves, one arranged for flow of fuel from the fuel container to the pump chamber and the other for flow of fuel from the pump chamber to the wick chamber; and pump means in the pump chamber operative to pump fuel through the valves, thus to effect transfer of fuel from the fuel container to the wick chamber.

2. A lighter and fuel injecting device therefor comprising a lighter casing including communicating wick and pump chambers; a fuel container engageable with the casing in communication with the pump chamber; a pair of check valves, one arranged for flow of fuel from the fuel container to the pump chamber and the other for flow of fuel from the pump chamber to the wick chamber; and pump means in the pump chamber operative to pump fuel through the valves, thus to effect transfer of fuel from the fuel container to the wick chamber, the wick chamber having a bottom wall perforated over substantially the full area of the bottom of the wick chamber to provide the communication between the wick chamber and the pump chamber, whereby to uniformly distribute fuel over substantially the full area of the bottom of the wick chamber.

3. A lighter and fuel injecting device therefor comprising a lighter casing including communicating Wick and pump chambers; a fuel container engageable with the casing in communication with the pump chamber; a pair of check valves, one arranged for flow of fuel from the fuel container to the pump chamber and the other for flow of fuel from the pump chamber to the wick chamber; and pump means in the pump chamber operative to pump fuel through the valves, thus to effect transfer of fuel from the fuel container to the wick chamber, comprising a piston stem working in the pump chamber, said stem having an outer end projecting out of the pump chamber, a handle on the projecting end of the stem, and a piston on the inner end of the stem.

4. A lighter and fuel injecting device therefor comprising a lighter casing including communication wick and pump chambers; a fuel container engageable with the casing in communication with the pump chamber; a pair of check valves, one arranged for flow of fuel from the fuel container to the pump chamber and the other for flow of fuel from the pump chamber to the wick chamber; and pump means in the pump chamber operative to pump fuel through the valves, thus to elfect transfer of fuel from the fuel container to the wick chamber, comprising a piston stem working in the pump chamber, said stem having an outer end projecting out of the pump chamber, a handle on the projecting end of the stem, and a piston on the inner end of the stem, said casing having a recess receiving the handle in the fully depressed position of the handle.

5. A lighter and fuel injecting device therefor comprising a lighter casing including communicating wick and pump chambers; a fuel container engageable with the casing in communication with the pump chamber; a pair of check valves, one arranged for flow of fuel from the fuel container to the pump chamber and the other for flow of fuel from the pump chamber to the wick chamber; and pump means in the pump chamber operative to pump fuel through the valves, thus to effect transfer of fuel from the fuel container to the Wick chamber, comprising a piston stem working in the pump chamber, said stem having an outer end projecting out of the pump chamber, a handle on the projecting end of the stem, and a piston on the inner end of the stem, said casing having a recess receiving the handle in the fully depressed position of the handle, the recess having vent openings in its walls communicating one with the pump chamber and one with the wick chamber to relieve said chambers of air during operation of the pump means, the handle having a gasket sealing said vent openings in the fully depressed position of the handle.

6. A lighter and fuel injecting device therefor comprising: a lighter casing including a partition dividing the casing into communicating wick and pump chambers, the partition merging into a wall perforated substantially over its full area, said wall providing a bottom for the wick chamber and being spaced from the bottom of the casing to define below the wick chamber a fuel distribution chamber opening into the pump chamber; a piston cylinder within the pump chamber; a fuel container engageable with the casing in communication wlth the prston cylinder; a pair of check valves in the piston cylinder one arranged for flow of fuel from the fuel contamer to the piston cylinder and the other for flow of fuel from the piston cylinder to the distribution chamber; and pump means in the piston cylinder operative to pump fuel through the valves, thus to effect the transfer of fuel from the fuel container to the wick chamber.

7. A lighter and fuel injecting device therefor comprising: a lighter casing including a partition dividing the casing into communicating wick and pump chambers, the partition merging into a wall perforated substantially over its full area, said wall providing a bottom for the wick chamber and being spaced from the bottom of the casing to define below the wick chamber a fuel distribution chamber opening into the pump chamber; a piston cylinder within the pump chamber; a fuel container engageable with the casing in communication with the piston cylinder; a pair of check valves in the piston cylinder one arranged for flow of fuel from the fuel container to the piston cylinder and the other for flow of fuel from the piston cylinder to the distribution chamber; pump means in the piston cylinder operative to pump fuel through the valves, thus to effect the transfer of fuel from the fuel container to the wick chamber; and a cap closing one end of the piston cylinder, said cap being hollowly formed and being apertured at opposite ends thereof, said one check valve being mounted within the cap, said fuel container being engageable against the cap in communication with one of the openings of the cap to provide the communication between the fuel container and piston cylinder.

8. A lighter and fuel injecting device therefor comprising: a lighter casing including a partition dividing the easing into communicating wick and pump chambers, the partition merging into a wall perforated substantially over its full area, said Wall providing a bottom for the wick chamber and being spaced from the bottom of the casing to define below the wick chamber a fuel distribution chamber opening into the pump chamber; a piston cylinder within the pump chamber; a fuel container engageable with the casing in communication with the piston cylinder; a pair of check valves in the piston cylinder one arranged for How of fuel from the fuel container to the piston cylinder and the other for flow of fuel from the piston cylinder to the distribution chamber; pump means in the piston cylinder operative to pump fuel through the valves, thus to effect the transfer of fuel from the fuel container to the wick chamber; and a cap closing one end of the piston cylinder, said cap being hollowly formed and being apertured at opposite ends thereof, said one check valve being mounted within the cap, said fuel container being engageable against the cap in communication with one of the openings of the cap to provide the communication between the fuel container and piston cylinder, the fuel container including a hollow, check-valved outlet stem projecting into said one opening of the cap in the casing-engaging position of the fuel container.

9. A lighter and fuel injection device therefor comprising a lighter casing including communicating wick and pump chambers; a fuel container engageable with thecasing in communication with the pump chamber; a pair of check valves, one arranged for flow of fuel from the fuel container to the pump chamber and the other for fiow of fuel from the pump chamber to the wick chamber; and pump means in the pump chamber operative to pump fuel through the valves, thus to effect transfer of fuel from the fuel container to the Wick chamber, comprising a piston stem working in the pump chamber, said stem having an outer end projecting out of the pump chamber, a handle on the projecting end of the stem, and a piston on the inner end of the stern, said casing having a recess receiving the handle in the fully depressed position of the handle, the recess having vent openings in its walls communicating one with the pump chamber and one with the wick chamber to relieve said chambers of air during operation of the pump means, the handle having a gasket sealing said vent openings in the fully depressed position of the handle, the walls of the recess being at right angles to each other with one Wall of the recess lying in a plane perpendicular to the path 7 in which the piston stem works, the other wall of the References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,830,968 Franklin Nov. 10, 1931 2,684,182 Gey July 20, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Sept. 7, 1948 

